UNDESERVED LARGESSE

Various governments routinely issue / release large advertisements / announcements, in expensive publications at the cost of the public exchequer

Often these contain large photographs of political leaders [as if non-political leaders have no role in nation building and in making sacrifices.] Moreover this is clearly tantamount to promoting their political clout at the cost of the state.

Public welfare schemes are sometimes named after individual political leaders, sometimes living ones.

Vulgar, patently false, expressions such as “A gift of the Prime Minister / CM / ~~ “ while announcing allocation of funds and inaugurating projects etc are routinely used. After all, these are not personal contributions by the said leader. He is merely a servant of the state using the public exchequer, not an emperor dolling out largesse.

Besides, there are many others [like the Chief Justice, Chiefs of Defense Forces, eminent social workers, artistes, scientists and other achievers] that deserve to be saluted with such honour and dedications. Why just political leaders? Under which constitutional provisions may the political executive corner the state resources and public accolade?

I have long wished to move a HC or the SC for a judicial verdict - or at least judicial guidelines – on this matter. Unfortunately, I could not figure out the law/s to invoke for this, nor the modus operandi thereof.

May my legal luminary friends like Rajeev Dhavan please opine if my desire is just Utopian.

I tend to believe that our national malaise has resulted from myriad small errors of omission and commission. And, therefore, our national resurgence must emerge from myriad such corrections.

Your take, Friends?